University of Alcalá

University of Alcalá
Universidad de Alcalá
Established	Historical University 1499 Official Modern University 1977
Type	public
Endowment	160 million EUR
Rector	Dr. Fernando Galván
Students	22,836
Location	Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
Campus	Urban and Outskirts
Faculty	1,616
Website	www.uah.es

The plateresque facade of the university.

Roofed courtyard of the School of Architecture.

The University of Alcalá (Spanish: Universidad de Alcalá) is a public university located in Alcalá de Henares, a city 35 km northeast of Madrid in Spain. Founded in 1499, it was moved in 1836 to Madrid. In 1977, the University was reopened in its same historical buildings. The University of Alcalá is especially renowned in the Spanish-speaking world for its annual presentation of the highly prestigious Cervantes Prize.

History

Although by 1293 King Sancho IV of Castile had already given his approval to the establishment of a "Studium Generale", the University of Alcalá was founded by the Regent of Spain, Cardinal Cisneros, in 1499 as a completely new educational project which fused the best of the traditional Paris and Salamanca models with more innovative models, such as those of Bologna and Louvain. Cardinal Cisneros's ambition was to create a university for the modern age and to place Spain at the peak of the European Renaissance movement. Renaissance humanism was to be the crucible in which the ordained and lay clergy could be educated to facilitate ecclesiastical regeneration. The university was also designed to train a new and efficient corps of civil servants to serve the increasingly complex Spanish monarchy. The fulfillment of that reforming ambition led to Alcalá's transformation into the seat of an aristocratic university that would prepare the ground for Spain's "Siglo de Oro" ("Golden Century").

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the University of Alcalá became the pre-eminent centre of academic excellence. Its lecture rooms hosted the teachings of such noted figures as Nebrija, Tomás de Villanueva, Ginés de Sepúlveda, Ignatius de Loyola, Domingo de Soto, Ambrosio de Morales, Arias Montano, Juan de Mariana, Francisco Vallés de Covarrubias, Juan de la Cruz, Lope de Vega and Quevedo. At the same time, the prestige of its learning and teaching soon converted it into the model to be followed by the new universities in the Americas.

The eighteenth century, especially the last three decades, was a turning point in Spanish university education, with university teaching methods undergoing root and branch reform. Nevertheless, this period also saw the arrival of Melchor de Jovellanos at the university and the awarding of a doctorate in philosophy for the first time in Spain to a woman, María Isidra de Guzmán y de la Cerda.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the university was moved to Madrid as a consequence of the selling-off of church lands. From that time onwards, the aspiration to one day win back the university was kept alive by the Condueños Society. The fervour of the people of Alcalá, the university's celebrated past, the recovery of the collective memory, and the new boost given to Spanish education by the transition to democracy meant that the University of Alcalá's lecture rooms were opened again in 1977. Ever since then, the teamwork and tenacity of its governors have allowed its intellectual, cultural and architectural heritage to be recovered. Due to its distinctive university model, its contribution to the arts and sciences throughout history, and to the beauty and wealth of its buildings, the University of Alcalá was declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site on December 2, 1998.

The University Today

Today's University of Alcalá preserves its traditional humanities faculties, a testimony to the university's special efforts, past and present, to promote and diffuse the Spanish language through both its studies and the Cervantes Prize, which is awarded annually by the King and Queen of Spain in the Paraninfo (Great Hall). The University has added to its time-honoured education in the humanities and social sciences new degree subjects in scientific fields such as health sciences or engineering, spread out across its different sites (the Alcalá Campus, El Encín, and Guadalajara), all of which, together with the Science and Technology Park, are a key factor in its projection abroad, while also acting as a dynamo for activities in its local region.

The University of Spanish Language

Because of its rich tradition in the humanities, the University of Alcalá offers several programs in Spanish language and literature. Alcalingua, a Department of the University of Alcalá, offers Spanish Language and Culture courses to foreigners and develops materials for teaching Spanish as a foreign language. The University of Alcalá, together with EDUESPAÑA, grants the CEELE, Certificado de Calidad en la Enseñanza del Español como Lengua Extranjera (Quality Certificate for Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language).

International Agreements

The University of Alcalá is a party to various bilateral agreements with Institutions in non-European countries, above all with universities in Latin America and USA. Some of these agreements stipulate exchanges for first and second stage students. Like Erasmus Programme students, foreign students who take advantage of these exchange schemes are exempt of payment of tuition fees to the University of Alcalá, though they must meet their own costs of travel, accommodation and upkeep. Application to take part in these exchanges should be carried out in the university of origin. Once selected, the university of origin will inform the University of Alcalá.

Notable teachers

Historical

• John of St. Thomas (died 1644), famous philosopher and semiotician

Present day

• Rodrigo Rato, former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.
• Manuel Marín, former speaker of the Spanish Congress of Deputies and long-time member of the European Commission (Responsible for the presentation of the proposal for the Erasmus Programme).
• Virgilio Zapatero, former Spanish Minister of Parliamentary Affairs (1986–1993).

Notable alumni

María Isidra de Guzmán y de la Cerda, first woman to receive a doctorate in Spain.

Facilities and other services

The University of Alcalá is spread across three main sites:

• The renovated sixteenth and seventeenth century buildings located in the city centre of Alcalá de Henares are home to studies in the traditional fields of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, as well as to the School of Architecture.
• Health Sciences, specialised experimental sciences, and the new technologies are found in faculties and university schools built from scratch on the campus just outside the city of Alcalá de Henares.
• Part of its recent process of expansion, the development of the Guadalajara Campus deserves special mention. Here, as well as the long-standing Escuela de Magisterio (primary education teacher-training college) and the Castilla-La Mancha Health Service Nursing College, both attached to the University, may be found the Multi-departmental Building, which is home for Technical Architecture, Business Science, and Tourism.

The University of Alcalá boasts an extensive network of 14 libraries spread across its three campuses. They offer extended hours year-round and during exam periods they never close. The University also offers a wide range of sporting activities, including aikido, archery, badminton, fencing, rugby and yoga. There are also courses in snorkelling, horseback riding and mountaineering, as well as other popular sports such as football. The University has a Hall for music, dance, theatre or flamenco, as well as the University Choir, "Tuna" (a traditional student music group), and the Film Club.

Architecture

Many buildings on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas borrow architectural elements from those found at the University of Alcalá.^[1]

References

1. ^ Barrick, Nolan (1985). Texas Tech... The Unobserved Heritage. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press. pp. 18, 23. ISBN 0-89672-125-6. 

See also

• List of medieval universities

External links

• University of Alcalá official site (Spanish)
• University of Alcalá International Student Home Page (English)

Coordinates: 40°28′57″N 3°21′40″W / 40.482536°N 3.361151°W / 40.482536; -3.361151